Painting A Life
by Sombereyes
Summary: He would reach out futilely, in search of that one glimmering hope, that sparkled in the distance. If he would finally be able to grasp hold of it, however, remained to be seen. KyoyaxHaruhi with hints of KyoyaxTamaki.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm doing this on a whim, so, I'm just in the dark with this story as you all are...it's just sort of coming to me as I play music, and that's the entire basis for this. Music, and a whim...oh, and some spattered paint on the floor, that reminds me of Kyoya.

I do not own OHSHC

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**Chapter 1**

Droplets fell onto the marbled floor, and he could do little more than sigh, as he felt parched by his strain. He scorned himself, because there was no bottled water near him, and he refused to go find some. It was late at night, and the coo-coo clock sang it's annoyingly cheerful tune. He couldn't be bothered, instead he merely sighed, and let go of the brush as it clattered onto the ground.

Troubled by a conversation he'd had earlier that afternoon, he let his shoulders slump, berating himself for even thinking this could be a remotely good idea. This was, in fact, a poorly planned wish, that he couldn't grasp. It was foolish. Idiotic at best, he dared not contemplate the worst.

It wasn't in his hands, he'd admit..the gods would have to gift him good graces...utterly pure, a fluke, a stoke of luck.

So, he picked up the brush from the floor, and plopped it into the container. His heart fluttered at the mere thought of just what he'd be trying to accomplish. It was perfection that graced the walls of his home, and a painting was always a gift to held in the highest regards. It bothered him greatly, that his visage was not enough to make it perfect, so he looked once more at his ideal life, finding it devoid of comfort.

Lonely...that was the epitome of his work. The splashes of color were just unfit. It marked the canvas in such a way, that one, Kyoya Ootori, felt incomplete.

He knew, of course, that he should. He was a young man, and, like every boy who was about to step foot into adulthood, he needed to find his way. He required to find his place, and the sooner the better. It was true, he was the third son. He would not fight for a title that would never be his. It had been childish to strive for such a thing. He realized, all thanks to Tamaki.

It was not the money, that made the man. It could never be the connections, high standing though they were. It wasn't even the fame, or namesake, that gifted Tamaki such a fulfillment. Even the boy's own grandmother couldn't squash his bright smile. Lord knew that she tried her damnedest to break his spirit, always to no avail. It was a quandary he could not understand...it was made even more infuriating when he considered Tamaki wasn't the only one who had such a view.

Meeting Haruhi, taught him that none of it mattered. That Tamaki was not purely insane for his notions, farfetched though they could be. One had to admit, that Tamaki could be fraying on the nerves on the best of days...yet, Haruhi only proved what Tamaki always chanted.

To be a true man, one worthy of any proper stature, it required something different. It was something his father could never understand. Kyoya was thankful the club had been there to teach him. Now however, that he was well educated, it would be a failure, if he did not take heart to the lessons. Hard work, sacrifice, and a plethora of time on his hands, would never be enough. He knew this, because in the end of everything, to live a worthy life, all boiled down to one simple thing. One fleeting, abstract treasure.

Happiness.

So, with a sigh, he slipped under the covers, his mind turning...the day would haunt him, even in his sleep. A new sun would rise the next day, and his endeavors would continue. He would reach out futilely, in search of that one glimmering hope that sparkled in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, this took a bit of an...odd turn... A bit of a Yaoi thing going on here... and god only knows what else... I'm totally free writing, so there's no set plan, rhyme, or reason...and good gosh, what am in conjuring up this time?

I don't own OHSHC

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**Chapter 2**

There was a distinctness to everything his father ordered. It wasn't as if he took difficulty with the bucket list often, but this time he would. Money didn't bother Kyoya, he had enough of that. His friends were powerful, and his social graces would allow him the safety, and protection, that his father would never even imagine. There were merits to his activities, as questionable as they were, and Kyoya had known that from the start. However, that's where one similarity ended.

Unfortunately for him, another gave rise to the guilty feeling in the pit of his gut.

He looked at the tiny square box that he had procured for himself months ago. Licking his lips, unsure of himself, he pocketed it away. It wasn't expensive by far. In fact, it was the dullest hing he could find. The most lackluster item, mere pocket change when he thought about it. After all, even the most brilliant looking ring in most commoner stores was still just squalor. In comparison to where he could have gone, instead he picked a place he considered in shambles. He chose a ring, at a commoners store.

There was something amusing about that, about how much of the commoner world he knew. How much he understood it, for his own benefit. After all, he knew that extravagance to Haruhi, was simply fascination. She never wanted it to be more than that, and it wasn't any question as to why. Money was nothing to her, not really.

"Still not sure what to do?" A voice from behind him didn't startle him as much as he thought it might.

"No, I don't." Kyoya groused at his best friend. "What about you, haven't gone to carry Haruhi away yet?" It tasted bitter, and he hated the fact he was at odds with his best friend. He knew what his father wanted him to do, the man had been hinting at it for no small amount of time. The stage was set simply, as fathers dropped their sons into the pit of rivalry. "You're the one who's supposed to love her, Idiot. What's taking so long?"

"It's Haruhi." That part meant the world to both of them. "You know why I can't."

Just like that, both young men sighed. "If you want her so badly, you should just take her." Oh yes, they'd known from the start. The men in their lives, the fathers they knew well, while friends, were also two of the most cut throat people they'd ever known. "We both know the truth. My father doesn't want me to do this out of the good of his heart." In fact, if Kyoya were honest with himself, he knew deep down, something else was amiss. "My best interest isn't in it, even if he says that it is."

Tamaki nodded as he leaned back on the sofa, his head falling in Kyoya's lap. The latter man already at odds, ignored the blond's early morning cuddling. "You need to get some sleep, or you'll be crabby." Tamaki told him, but Kyoya didn't budge. "You wouldn't want to be in a bad mood for Haruhi, would you, mommy?"

A long suffering sigh fell from Kyoya's lips. "Don't you think you should refrain from that?" He stood, pushing the blond away from him. Fixing his tie, and removing lint that wasn't there to begin with made him less edgy. "It's time to stop playing around. It was fun while it lasted, but Tamaki, we're both vying for the same woman."

"That doesn't bother me." Tamaki had a gift for keeping his voice was easy going. "It shouldn't bug you either, not really."

Kyoya shook his head. "This...whatever you think this is, it needs to stop." Something shifted...painful, and he hated that his glasses couldn't hide him, not from Tamaki. The blond could see the war that danced in eyes brimming with things Kyoya would rather not feel. "It wouldn't be fair to Haruhi to be faint minded about this. She doesn't want an arranged marriage any more than we do, I'm sure."

"I do want this." Tamaki finally sighed at him, looking down at the floor. "And even though you won't admit it, so do you." Their friendship wouldn't be the price, Tamaki would be sure of that. "It would be unfair to Haruhi to see us fighting." They were growing into men, that was true, but he wouldn't give an inch, purely on his father's whims...especially not when it came to Haruhi. "I'm surprised you want to back down, not to mention, do what your told."

"What else can I do?" Kyoya muttered. "You're right, I do want Haruhi in my life, but there would be nothing for her to gain from this. If she were to be in an unhappy union, just think of how bad we would all feel." His shoulders grew tense, and he clenched his fists. "To make matters worse, you and I are not the type of people that Haruhi should be romantic with." He scowled, as if Tamaki didn't get it. "Think of the infidelity...it wouldn't do, Tamaki."

"We've only had sex a few times." Tamaki could admit that in his younger years, he was a bit unsure of just where he stood in his life. "Besides, I thought we agreed, that was all in the past. We hid it from everyone so we could get married and live normal lives one day, remember?"

"Can you be okay with this, truly?" Kyoya asked him. "Can you be okay with being in a relationship with Haruhi, knowing that you and I have done things she'll never know about...that we continue to be questionable at every turn?" He shook his head. "What about if I win her heart?" Kyoya prodded further. "Do you realize what that means for you?" The irony was endless, but so too was the hurtful truth that could engulf them. "We both have homoerotic tendencies, and you think it would be fair to marry her?"

"I think I could make her happy." Tamaki finally told Kyoya after a long silence. "I also think you could do the same, if you wanted that bad enough."

"Possibly." Kyoya sighed, though he remained unconvinced. He thought to get himself some tea, and when he got up to prepare it, he considered the action, one that he took the time to do himself. He was always careful to be self reliant, even when he had so many staff members to do things for him. "Tamaki, suppose Haruhi were to receive requests for marriage, who do you think she might chose?"

"Well, truthfully, I don't know." The blond shrugged. "Haruhi doesn't know how to depend on others, so because of that, I don't think that she'll really want to be with any of us." He gave thought to it, but he came up empty. "We could make her happy, but I never said we could do it by maintaining the sort of life that we live. It just isn't what Haruhi really wants."

Kyoya nodded. "I believe my father has taken notice of that." Kyoya told him. "He's been making hints, about struggling to achieve greatness."

"Odd, considering it's your dad saying that." Tamaki knew however, that Kyoya wasn't nearly as calculating as his father...oh no. "Still, I shouldn't be surprised. What are you going to do?"

"Exactly as he wants, Tamaki." Kyoya planned with perfection, but he was not the type of man to use his abilities for revenge. "I believe it would behoove me to take his advice." It just wasn't in him, and, besides that, Kyoya was a gentleman. He understood the importance of refinery, and used it with everything he did, even when producing a middle finger in delicate ways. "So, I think if I have too, I will...but, if I do, I'll help Haruhi keep the Fujioka name."

"You'll renounce your name?!" Tamaki all but cried out. "You can't do that! It's a horrible idea!"

"Calm down." The slightest hint of annoyance slipped from his poker face, of which, he normally kept perfect. "It could be a marvelous idea."

"I don't know about this, Kyo." Tamaki sighed. "That will bring all sorts of trouble."

"We both know our fathers like to play chess, Tamaki." The dark haired man went on to explain as he handed Tamaki a cup of tea, before taking a sip of his own. "We've always been the pawns, and we play our roles well." In fact, they'd both expected this might happen. "This is yet another game between them." After all, it wasn't every day some commoner would dare to outclass the elite, which Haruhi did without even trying. "It isn't funny this time, but it is a game...we're expected to play."

Tamaki hated to admit it, but his good friend was right on all counts. "To the victor go the spoils?"

"Precisely." Kyoya nodded. "But remember Tamaki, we aren't our fathers." He replied coolly. "Shaking things up a bit should be quite fun, if I do say so myself."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Next installment, and even after waking up from a good night's sleep, I have no idea what the heck I'm doing with this story. The only thing I know is, I'm enjoying myself. So, on with the fiction.

I don't own OHSHC.

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**Chapter 3**

The cheery blossoms wafted in the wind, caressed by the air gently, on graduation day. There was no time for friendly banter among those whom Kyoya cared about. Both he, and Tamaki, had places they were expected to be. Families they had to appease, statements to the press that required their attention, and, endless papers in which to sign. Contracts greeted them in stacks, and they, like their fathers before them, began to read and consider the documents that would govern their lives.

Still this day, while a time to rejoice for some, was merely another burden for Kyoya. He wanted nothing to do with it, even when his sister gave him a hug, and congratulated him. Even when the finality of the situation hit him, and he was alone for the day. He had just found a moment of peace, and he payed it would not be ripped away so soon. He knew however, it would be short lived, just as every precious moment within his memory.

He pulled his glasses away from the top of his head, and sighed when his door opened, a sour looking Tamaki barging right in. Plenty of feathers seemed to be ruffled, and if Kyoya wasn't mistaken, he'd never seen his friend so disheveled. Kyoya knew it wasn't a good sign, and so, he permitted the face that buried into his shoulder with a sigh. Tamaki curled into him, looking for solace. "I never thought I would actually say this." He breathed softly. "I think I hate my grandmother."

"Don't be an idiot." Kyoya told him, without inflection, trying to soothe away the damage. "You couldn't hate the scum of the earth, let alone your own grandmother."

"I think I do, Kyo." Tamaki pulled away, to look into Kyoya's eyes. They weren't protected by his glasses, and utterly, they were pools of truth. "I just wish that she could see the truth." He pulled from his pocket a ring. One that was given to him by the elderly woman. "I have to give this to Haruhi." He explained, and gave his friend the velvet case of perfection. "She said my ring was dull. That I didn't put any thought, or care, into what Haruhi might like."

Kyoya lifted the lid, expecting something amazing, surely. However, when his eyes partook the glimmering gemstone, and he cursed softly. "She thinks Haruhi would want this rock?" It was amusing, but sickening all at once. "She won't buy into this. Haruhi is better than that, by far."

"I know." Tamaki closed the lid, and pulled it from Kyoya's hands. "I know Haruhi...I care for her a great deal, so I'd like to think I understand what she wants." He tossed the box into the wall, a muted thud, a scream all of it's own. "I just wish my grandmother would listen to me when I say that." Tamaki sighed. "Have you given Haruhi your proposal yet?"

"Not yet." Kyoya muttered, as he felt his heart sink a little. "I still feel wrong, thinking about doing it."

"Kyoya...I know we tried not to think about this before...but..." Tamaki averted his eyes, full of crystal emotion that he always wore on his sleeve. "I know we never wanted to talk about it...but you said it yourself." He gripped the edge of his seat in his hands, breathing sharply. "We've done things that most men wouldn't consider doing." He knew better than anyone else, just what kind of person Kyoya was, especially when no one was around. "Could it be that we've just got to fess up to it? Would it really be so bad, to admit if we are?" He didn't want to say the word, as it perched the tip of his tongue in a way that irked him.

A silence fell over the room, and for a few moments, they only shared breath, and not words.

"I think, that if we're to assume that, then we should both leave Haruhi alone. We shouldn't say anything about marriage or otherwise." Kyoya finally concluded. "If the past can't stay in the past, it would hurt her. Even thinking of committing adultery, it makes me feel sick."

"Do you think she would accept us?" Tamaki asked then. "If either one of us were..._that_...I mean." He stumbled with his words, and it seemed as of his quaking body was about to follow the same path.

"If you have to ask, you really don't know Haruhi well at all, now do you?" Still, even as Kyoya said it, he found his own mind began to run rampant. "In any case, we have larger things to worry about." He went over to the tightly packed dresser, in which, he kept all of his casual clothes. Before opening it he shook his head, and instead, peeked into his closet. "I don't suppose formal attire will do either." Kyoya finally sighed as he came out and shut the door harshly. "What would one wear, if they were trying to interest a person, who by my calculations, seems oblivious to our world?"

"That's your first problem, Kyoya." Tamaki couldn't take the mental weight anymore. "You want to impress her, but this is Haruhi we're talking about." With a deject sigh, and a pained frown, Tamaki knew what they had to do. "Never mind the rings." He said, putting his head in his hands. "We just have to tell her Kyoya, before our families say things that we can't undo."

"I suppose." It was an agreement laced with defeat. "I was hoping for a more eloquent way to go about this." Still, as he searched the depths of his understanding for even a tiny morsel, he knew, his good friend was right. "The problem is, I don't see one."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I think I finally have a good idea of just where I want this to go.

I don't own OHSHC.

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**Chapter 4**

"It would be more suitable for me, if I did this by myself." Kyoya told his maid after guiding her away from the tea set in the kitchen. "I am capable of doing this on my own, and failure isn't an option." He assured her.

"Master, if your father ever found out about this, he would be displeased." The woman clad in an apron warned him, worried for her own job. "This isn't a concern for any Ootori male."

He smiled at her. "Perhaps it isn't." This maid was one that he was close to. In his youngest years, she was there to care for him when his mother was not around. "However, it would behoove me in ways father would never understand." Now that he was older, she treated him like a proper master of the household. "I have a friend of mine over for a visit. She would not be pleased to find out that I couldn't even make tea for her."

"You're smitten!" She said with delight, a true smile on her face. "A close friend?"

"One could say that." He nodded preparing the tea with all of the grace expected of him. "I would enjoy her company as a suitor, though I doubt she feels the same." He told the woman. "I'm meeting with her today, to put matters plainly."

"Well that's not in the least bit romantic." The elderly woman sighed, shaking her head at him. "I thought you were in a sort of club, one that invited romance to the ladies. I would think you'd want to sweep this young lady off her feet." She nodded, approving her own idea. "Yes, indeed! That's what I would do, if I were you, Kyoya."

"Ordinarily, that would be true." He wondered if speaking further would benefit him, but saw little point in it. "Haruhi is not like most women though. I'm sure she enjoys romance, yes...but most certainly not out of the blue." As he poured the tea into the cups, he felt the sprinkle of nervousness. Outside, on a private patio filled with flowers, Haruhi and Tamaki were enjoying themselves. It didn't ease him at all. He licked his lips, a dry feeling of regret, one he'd become used to as of late, bubbled within. "If you'll excuse me." Carrying the try as he left the large kitchen, he couldn't help but pause at a nearby window, hearing Tamaki's colorful speech.

"Don't be silly." His voice overtly celebrated the seemingly casual event. "It's a lovely day for viewing the flowers, not to mention, you get to spend the day with two of your best friends." The blond seemed chipper on the outside, full of his usual spunk, but Kyoya knew the truth. "What could be better than that?" It was indeed the question of the was clearly unimpressed, but her voice was low enough to be a mere murmur. She could see through him, the view from the window screamed of it.

"Of course not, Haruhi!" Begrudgingly, so did Tamaki.

Kyoya wasted no time bringing the cups of liquid outside. He took the care of a refined gentleman, placing Haruhi's cup in front of her. He didn't tend to the additives, allowing her to add her own cream, and to forgo the sugar. "You see awfully chipper, Tamaki." Kyoya said, trying his best to glean insight to the earlier conversation. "Care to tell me what has you so excited?"

"Oh, nothing!" Tamaki said, quickly sipping from his tea, his hand shaking the entire time. "I was just commenting on the flowers."

"What's going on you guys?" Haruhi finally cut to the chase, having endured Tamaki's nervousness for far longer than she would have liked. "This isn't like a normal day out." She was observant enough to notice that, and, with the way Kyoya had tended to their every need since she'd arrived, she knew there was a problem.

"Astute, as always, Haruhi." Kyoya sighed as he nodded to Tamaki. They both took their seats, and with a resigned sigh, both boys took a sip of tea. They were trying to put distance between themselves, and the inevitable. Kyoya lifted his eyes to meet the woman's own, seeing worry gracing her feature. He hated seeing that look, and Tamaki's quaking wasn't making it easier on anyone. "It seems as if you've become more than just a little interesting to the upper class. You should feel flattered, really." Kyoya offered, but felt empty doing so. "However, I'm also well aware, that will not exactly be the case."

"Kyo...let me." Tamaki butted in, pulling his feet up onto the chair, scrunching himself into a little ball. "I want to tell her."

"Have at it." Kyoya wasn't bothered, actually thankful for the reprieve.

"Our father's have both picked you, Haruhi." Tamaki told her, before looking away with a deep blush on his face. It wasn't like he had planned...it wasn't even like he'd hoped. "My father wants you to finish school, and then, marry me." This wasn't what Haruhi would want to hear, Tamaki knew that. It was so soon, and right out of thin air, but, it was their lives. It hung in a delicate balance that Tamaki only liked to rattle up a bit...he'd never imagined he'd turn it upside down when he made the host club.

"My father wants you to drop out." Kyoya sighed. "He views a woman's place different than a man's. He expects I'll care for your every need." As he said this, he pulled out the ring he'd chosen, and put it on the table. The onset of fear began to shimmer in the young woman's eyes, as she sat there, quite unsure what to say about this. "Without a doubt, if you chose me, I would always take care of you."

Her lips moved, but no sound came out, and her breath seemed to stagger. "This isn't happening." She finally managed to choke out.

"As much as I wish to say that you'd want for nothing, I know that's not the case." Kyoya admitted again.

She could tell it wasn't a joke. This wasn't one of Tamaki's little ideas. She could see he was literally shaking with every passing moment. Kyoya merely looked bitter, saddened by what he knew he had to do, what he had to ask of her. Shamed by that mere idea, Kyoya had no qualms about looking displeased.

Haruhi couldn't just give herself away like that. "This is crazy." Still, as she found purchase in their displeasure, she took comfort in it as well. "Marriage should be out of love." She finally managed to say. "True, honest love...not out of force."

"Not to mention bloodline and proper breeding." Kyoya added. "Haruhi, I agree with you entirely. It's just that my father doesn't think that way." He let his eyes slip to his blond haired friend. "Nor does Tamaki's." It was a twisted mire of truth. "Our best interest is out of our hands. We do what we're told."

"It's our father's little game." Tamaki said then, with regret spilling from his eyes. "But, it's one that we don't want to play, so we're just telling you."

"We both want to marry you, Haruhi." Tamaki said then, trying to gather his strength. "We just know that this isn't the kind of life you'd thought you'd have."

"I always thought I was just one of the guys, you know?" She told them, on the verge of tears, and yet, she refused to let them fall. "I figured that was all I'd ever be. I would be okay with that." She shook her head. "You don't have to marry me...you could just tell your parents that you can't." It was an excuse, a way out...a perfect way to hide. She knew that, but she found it hard to face them right now. She didn't want to have to choose.

"We could." Kyoya agreed. "If we did that, we would both be given wives that we don't have a choice over...ones we might not even like." He sighed, it was an underhanded trick, but a memory that would work. "Remember that woman from France?" Kyoya told Haruhi pressingly. "Do you ever want that to happen again?"

"No!" Haruhi relented, denying that very question with all the poison possible. "It was horrible seeing it happen once."

"You can stop one of us." Tamaki told her, understanding Kyoya's meaning as he got nearer to Haruhi. "If we get married to other people, Haruhi, we may not have a choice."

"I know I won't." Kyoya muttered then. "My father's second choice is Renge. I'd be going to live with her family, if that was the case." He looked to Haruhi then, trying to gift her all of the honesty that he could. "My life is written before me in a path that as of right now, I can not change. One day, I will. For now, I've just got to continue playing into my father's hands." Still, even as he said it, he too, stood up, and got closer to the only female host in the club. "You won't be a game to either one of us, Haruhi. If you choose either one, there won't be any hard feelings."

When Haruhi's eyes found Tamaki, the blond nodded. "We're used to this. We'll do whatever you want to do."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: The next installment.

I don't own OHSHC.

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**Chapter 5**

"This is insane." She murmured as she ran her fingers through her wet hair. "It's not like they wanted this either. It isn't as if I have any redeeming qualities anyway." A cold shower would have done her some good, or so she had hoped. It was a mistake to think that way, her problems still lingered.

"Don't say that." Her father chided as he sighed, peaking in to grab his makeup bag. He let his eyes bore into hers for a moment. "You have plenty of them."

"I know that." She sighed. "But, they're not the type of things that would interest wealthy families. I thought Kyoya's dad hated me...and now this?" Haruhi shook her head. "I didn't mind it all when they were just friends...really, that's all they should be."

For not the first time, she heart Tamaki's voice, ever gentle, and protective, echo in her mind. _"We're used to this. We'll do whatever you want to do." _She wished it was easier, but she was thankful they hadn't actively tried to perused her. They were her friends, first and foremost. She needed that more than ever. She almost wished that this entire thing didn't happen, but, she found, the more she thought about Tamaki's words Kyoya's warning also pulled at her.

She knew, she couldn't deal with the sinking feeling of letting either one of them fly away to another country. "Dad, what should I do?" She asked him, her voice wavering just a little bit.

"Whatever makes you happy, Haruhi." He told her softly. "You've always lived for your own goals, and reached for your own desires. It would be a shame to let all of that go now." He smirked a little. Seeing her clad in that white button down shirt and a pair of boxers she would fall asleep in, made him shake his head absently. "However, it would also be a shame to be stubborn. Sticking to a lifestyle you no longer want to live just sucks." With that he sighed, fishing out his cover up. "I wouldn't wish that on anybody, kiddo."

"If I marry Kyoya, I'll have to drop out of school." She told him, fearing he may lose his cool composure.

He frowned a bit, but that was all he did. "I'd like to think that you're still my little baby girl, but I know that's not true. I can't say I'd be thrilled about you dropping out, but, if I kept you from living your own life...well, I'd end up hating myself." Somehow, right before his eyes, she grew up into the young woman that she was. "Happiness really is everything." He finally settled with. "Your boys can't buy that...you'll have to find it on your own."

"Yeah." Haruhi agreed. "Thanks dad."While it was true the man was flighty, and not just a little eccentric, she'd always had a profound respect for him.

She also had a respect for her mother, and missed her terribly. It was times like this, she wished her mother were still around. She had always been a strong person, because she had to be. Her mother's death took a toll, and her father wasn't the only one who paid the heavy price.

She did most of the chores herself, and tackled school work on top of it, but that wasn't all. Recently, she'd been looking at old books her mother had collected. Government and law interested Haruhi on a very deep level, mostly because it kept her close to the woman who was not longer reachable. Now though, she couldn't help but walk out of the bathroom with a grimace on her features. Sighing at the stack of books had become a routine all of it's own, as they sat in plain sight from just across the hall. Haruhi wondered if maybe she'd gone further than she should have when she deiced to attend Ouran.

In truth, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but happiness.

When she went into the kitchen, making dinner for both of them before her father had to leave for work, she regarded the rice in the bowl with an empty stare. She knew her father could hear her toiling, and if that wasn't bad enough, his worried gaze seemed to see right through her. She smiled a sad little wane. "Before, it felt like I was just getting by." She had to admit that the host club changed things. "Now, I feel like I'm actually going places, and the guys are all really good friends."

"Do you think you could choose between them?" He finally asked her, unsure if just what that contemplative frown on her face really meant. He knew his daughter well enough to know, it could have meant many things. From homework, to marriage, Haruhi was not the open book he wished she would be. Even the things he was told were only the thinnest tip of the iceberg, and he understood why she did it, even if he hated it. "I don't doubt they're good men, but who do you like more?"

"I wouldn't want to pick sides." She grumbled a bit.

"Aw, come on Haruhi, play a little game with daddy, and tell me who you would pick!" When all he received was a sigh, Ranka also followed suit. "Really, who do you feel would make a good husband." He finally felt the weight that cloaked the room so heavily, that it was constricting. "If you had to choose one, who would be best?"

"Well, Kyoya's dependable." Haruhi responded dryly, not at all amused. "He's a bit cold outwardly, but he's not selfish, and really, he cares a lot about others. He's really a good guy, as much as he pretends to be a jerk." With a shrug all the same, she merely didn't know. "Tamaki's playful and easy going...he's dependable too, but in different ways. Yeah, he's an idiot, but that free way of thinking that he has, well, I think that's kinda important." The truth was, she'd never be able to decide with the way she saw them now. "Neither of them would be bad as husbands."

Ranka just shook his head. "You really are just like your mother." He told her, leaving the cryptic message as far away from her reach as possible. "All this time, I've wondered if that was a good thing or not. Now I see just how much alike you are." He didn't like it, but if he had to put a finger on it, he knew the blond had better odds. "Well, I'm not the authority on this, and ultimately, it is your choice. I can't take that away from you." He licked his dry lips in deep thought. "I think you'd be better off with Tamaki." Kyoya might have had a snowball's chance in hell, but, that didn't mean the boy was out of the running. _He might just freeze hell over, if Haruhi's at stake._ That thought didn't comfort him in the slightest.

"Why's that?" It wasn't that she minded, but she was surprised at the notion.

"Girls look for young men that resemble their father." He told her, even though he was unsure of how true it was. "Or at least, that's the rumor."

"Pretty dumb rumor." She told him. "I don't know...maybe it would be best if I just turn them down. It would be the fair thing to do."

"Fair perhaps." He agreed before posing a question. "But, would it make you happy?"


End file.
